Manny and Nando glared at Evan, looking as though they’d like to beat him to death with their shotguns. Manny took a menacing step toward him, but René held up a hand and he halted.

“Those are our hermanos,” Manny snarled.

“No,” René said. “They were my employees. And they failed at their job. Make sure you don’t fail at yours.”

Dex barely had to move for the floorboards to groan beneath him. Manny looked at him, then stepped back into line.

René returned his attention to Evan. “There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who make messes and those who clean them up.”

The handcuffs forced Evan to hunch forward, but he looked up at René through a tangle of hair. “Which kind are you?”

“The third kind, who gets to make the categories.” His eyes gleamed from their burrows in his face. “You made a big mess tonight.”

Evan stared at Manny. “Or cleaned one up.”

Manny slid his tongue across his gold grill as if Evan were something he’d like to eat.

Someone tapped on the door, and then a man with long white hair came in, wearing a pair of tattered scrubs. The doctor hadn’t shaved in a few days; he had the wrecked good looks of an aging surfer who’d lived through one too many tequila sunrises.

“Hi.” Dr. Franklin looked across at Evan. “Oh. Hey.” Then at René. “Talk to you?”

René stepped out into the hall. Hushed murmurs carried back inside, though the words were unintelligible. Nando and Manny glowered at Evan.

It was an uncomfortable few minutes.

Finally René returned. “Six of my guards are in bad shape. Internal bleeding, renal failure. Their kidneys seem to be shut down.”

Manny made a noise between a growl and a cry.

“It is Dr. Franklin’s opinion that they ingested poisonous mushrooms.”

“It’s hard to distinguish them sometimes,” Evan said sympathetically.

“None of them claim to have picked any mushrooms, let alone added them to their chili.”

“If I added mushrooms to chili, I wouldn’t admit it either,” Evan said.

He watched Manny’s jaw tighten and enjoyed it a bit.

René cleared his throat. Evan was surprised to see his brown eyes moisten. “There’s nothing anyone can do,” René said. He added quickly, “And no major medical facilities nearby.”

“Here in Graubünden,” Evan added.

The chocolate eyes sharpened. “That’s right.” René swept a hand over his hair, though no strands were out of place. “They’ll die within days.”

“In excruciating pain.” Evan directed a look at Manny and Nando. “You should put them out of their misery. It’s the only humane thing to do.”

Manny and Nando studied the floorboards, waiting on their orders.

Evan switched his gaze to René. “Dying men drain resources quickly,” he added. “You should consider what’s best for everyone.”

After a moment René gave a little nod. “Do it kindly,” he said.